I am using Atlas Code55 track on my point to point layout. I airbrushed the track with ModelFlex rail brown and then cleaned the tops of the rails. Now I am constantly cleaning the rails because they keep turning a dark brown. I have used a brite boy and goo-gone. I can't figure out why it keeps doing this. Any help would be appreciated!
I use a brite boy or a similar item. I don't understand why the rail tops would turn brown. Mine sometimes get a little tarnished if I don't clean them for a while, but the color change is barely noticable. It certainly does not turn brown. Try the alcohol. It may remove some of the weathering, depending on how much you use. I would use just enough to get the residue off the tops of the rails and not saturate the track/rails. Then, you could try the bright boy system for a while. All dry with no liquids. Just experiment and see which you like the best.
Immediately after cleaning the rail, I put a small drop of Labelle or Atlas locomotive lubricating oil on top of the rail about every four to six feet and run a train over it so it can be spread over all trackage. You can also use sewing machine oil or hair clipper oil such as "Wahl" oil. The light coat of oil will help prevent oxidation and keep foreign matter from tightly adhering to the rail.
You could also try a product called Railzip. I have used it on my C55 with great results. It really slows down the oxidation and it made my locos run very smooth. I haven't had to clean the tracks for about a month now which is remakable since I live in a very dry and dusty climate. I was suprised that it worked this well. Eric
I used to use railzip years ago with my first layouts and it worked well for helping the track stay clean, and when just wiping down the rails to remove oxidation. Another idea is to MU a fast loco with a slow loco so the fast one is always polishing the rails.
Chuck, If it's turning really dark, I'd suspect crud on the wheels being deposited on the rails. That was my problem for a while. Once I cleaned the offending 240 axles of my 60-car ore train, things stayed clean again.
I'm on code 80 and use MAAS polish. I can go many weeks between cleanings. It removes all tarnish/oxidation and leaves an anti-tarnish corrosion inhibitor behind.
Pete- I can clean it, not run any trains, and it starts to darken in just a few hours! I don't understand it; this has never happened to me before. It is mainly around the turnouts. Maybe this code55 stuff just doesn't like me! Thanks to all that responded. I think I will try alcohol next. Thanks again!
Let us know your results, please. This one puzzles me for a plausible explanation. It sounds like oxidation, but that happens over a long time period. A long, long, long shot: is there a vinegar bottle open someplace?
Actually, I've had what I think may be a similar problem, but it has followed ballasting on painted track. I spray a 75/25% isopropyl alcohol/water mix as the wetting agent and I have to assume that is what is causing the discolouration, but I can't imagine why. I don't know whether it is a form of oxidization or what, what it doesn't seem to be non-conductive - just unsightly. After 3 or 4 cleanings with an abrasive block it seems to stop recurring for the most part.
Is this just on Atlas code 55? I would not think it is any type of track, like Atlas, or others would be having the same problem. Must be something in the train room.
I have all Atlas Code 55 .. and it does start to tarnish ... within a day or two of cleaning ... it may have a unique metalurgical content ... I generally use CRC on a little rag to wipe down the track after cleaning .. and that keeps the continuity good for a while ..
Nickel silver as its called does oxidize and the oxidation is conductive, just not as conductive as freshly cleaned Nickel silver track. An oxidation preventive after a thorough cleaning is the answer. Other factors play into this, do you have steam heat, high humidity, is the layout in the garage. are the windows open. do you have blackened wheelsets which are known to deposit blackening on the rails. All these will add to the problems, another is smoking do you smoke in the railroad room? do you have a fireplace. Acid rain problems? The eastern part of New York State is a high acid rain area caused by coal fired plants in the midwest. This causes acidic water conditions on lakes upstate New York and is actually killing lakes and fauna, In the case of model railroading it will accelerate corrosion/oxidation/or tarnish as we normally refer to it., as it accelerates corrosion on brick and concrete buildings in New York. Take a bright boy, clean the track thoroughly, vacume the dust up, take a piece of scrap cork about one inch square, spray it with TV tuner cleaner/ enhancer sold at radio shack. wipe all the track to leave a film. Go over it once every two weeks or more (depending on your conditions listed above. Have fun. It takes me 10 minutes to do the entire layout with the cork. Rob
Rob, is the TV Tuner Cleaner you speak of, the same as LPS used to clean and remove soldering paste residue from PC Boards? My question is, does the film left act as a conductive enhancer as well as prevent re-oxidation? LPS does not leave any residual film.
No I don't believe so. the cleaner your referring to just removes the flux. The tv tuner cleaner comes in a spray can, and has electrical contact enhancers in it. If you use the LPS I dont believe it will leave a protective film thus allowing the track to reoxidize more quickly. My whole point on track maintenance is to prevent as best as possible the track from oxidizing or at least slow the process down. Some folks use alcohol which has water in it, the water combined with O2 in the air speeds the process up. Seen rusted steel? water and air (O2) makes steel rust, on nickel silver the rust is oxidation. So some method of preventing the air from contacting the rail surface is needed. Reapplication periodically is the answer, once the rails start getting that dark gray look. polish them up, reapply the cleaner. There are a few ways to do this, one is wahl clipper oil, the other is metal polish, the other is contact cleaner enhancer sold by radio shack. The only thing alcohol is good for is removing dirt, grease oil. it should be followed up by one the ingrediants above. Rob
By the way, on another post I wrote up a theory on why some don't have contact problems and never clean thier rails (other than dusting) what it basically says is theres a possibility that once virgin rail oxidizes, it stabilizes itself, where the chemical reaction to air and moisture doesn't take place or does so extremely slowly. So it may pay to look into not scrubing rails with any kind of abrasive. Without extensive testing on this theory, the emperical evidence is just that a theory not based on evidence. Of course one could try a test case on a layout. I'll bet the results would be interesting to some. Rob
